


Hope You Survive the Experience!

by NonskaithNymph



Series: X-hilarating X-Men [2]
Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-14 23:25:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17517827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NonskaithNymph/pseuds/NonskaithNymph
Summary: The Second Installment of the X-Hilarating X-Men!This is a fic that reimagines the original X-Men of the 1960s, beginning with a new student arriving at the soon to be renamed Xavier's School for Gifted Boys. Given my love of the original 1960s comics, I have attempted to somewhat mimic the style, so if it seems a little cliché, blame Stan, not me XD (RIP Stan. Thank you for these beloved characters)





	Hope You Survive the Experience!

The morning classes were their usual mix of heavy science and heavy humanities, something Professor X feel most important for his students to learn. However mentally taxing the morning’s classes were, the current curriculum calls for physical education as well. But, in the halls of the Xavier Institute, physical education means more than stretching or even friendly games of dodge ball. This afternoon, for the first time since joining, Jean is thrust into the Danger Room!

Each member is dressed in their school uniform. Not the button downs or sweater vests, but the school uniforms of the X-Men! Spandex fashioned after Olympic gymnasts, but in the school’s blue and yellow colours, with the added benefit of cowls and utility belts. The Beast, also known as Hank McCoy, uses his superhuman agility to evade a mote of laser from one of the Danger Room’s hidden test blasters, and Warren Worthington, the mutant known also known as Angel, flies high and shoots his mock cannon at the devise, disabling it thanks to Beast’s distraction. Bobby Drake, the mutant known as Ice Man, slides in while three homing missiles attempt to follow his cooling body, and the Scott Summers, better known to the world at large as Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men, uses the power of his concussive eye beams to destroy each of the missiles.

Turning with a smile, Scott says to Jean, “are you ready, Marvel Girl?”

“I… I don’t know S-Cyclops,” the young redhead nibbles her lip, feeling both overwhelmed and slightly afraid to let go. To test her powers in such a situation, even if the Professor monitors for safety from above.

“Come on, Marvel Girl,” Bobby insists, “show us what you got. You can let loose here and let those powers fly.”

“I’m the only one who flies,” Warren adds with a smirk.

“You know what I mean,” Bobby shakes his head.

“But yes, Jean, you can feel safe to let your powers go here,” Warren continues.

Scott glares at Warren, though the ruby quartz visor obscures his eyes. Since she’s come out and begun acting more natural, Jean has garnered much more attention from Warren than Scott would like. Although Jean’s openness hasn’t been anything but cordial, and although she has done nothing to make him think she has interest in Warren or otherwise, Scott cannot always shake that feeling that Jean would be better off with Warren. He has so much more to offer her; Warren’s family is monied, not to mention an actual family, unlike the orphaned Scott who has little to nothing to offer such a beautiful and smart girl. Angel’s mutant power gives him majestic wings, which can never be used to destroy, while Scott’s own gift… curse… is that destructive blast held back by only special ruby quartz. He cannot. He must not give into these feelings. Not now. For if he is this distracted in a training exercise, how will he act in the field!? He snaps out of it when he hears Jean’s sweet voice.

“Scott?”

“Hmm?”

“I said do you think I am ready, Scott?” The redhead shyly glances at him. Warren tries to hide his dismay that the girl seeks so much approval from the one they call Cyclops.

“Of course. The whole team thinks you’re ready,” Scott responds with a smile that she’s come to almost rely on. A smile that she’s never seen Scott share with anyone but her. In an instant, her fear and self-doubt fade and she smiles and nods with a borrowed confidence.

Watching from above through a thick one way mirror, in an enclosed control room, Professor X controls and monitors the Danger Room. Seeing his newest student is ready, the Professor turns a dial and in an instant a panel opens in the Danger Room and a crushing boulder comes rolling out right at Jean and Scott!

“Jean!” Scott rushes in front of her, standing between her and the boulder, fully obscuring her body with his own as his hand instinctively juts to his visor. A full force concussive ruby beam fires from the visor, destroying the entire boulder in an instant. The other X-Men look on in astonishment as small pieces of boulder scatter throughout the Danger Room.

As the dust clears, the Professor leans toward the silver microphone and presses a button. “Cyclops, may I speak to you a moment?”

The team of X-Men look slowly from their field leader Cyclops up to that mirrored glass. “Ooh, Slim’s in trouble,” Ice Man snickers. Angel, landing beside him and places a hand on Ice Man’s frozen shoulder, shaking his head. Much of the Danger Room audibly powers down a moment as Cyclops walks to the elevator door.

“Scott,” the Professor says as Cyclops enters the small control room. Scott’s blood momentarily turns to ice when he hears the Professor’s tone. “I know you have feelings for the girl,” Professor X starts.

“No, Professor, it’s not..,” Scott pauses his interruption. There’s little reason to lie to a telepath. And, though Scott knows that Professor Xavier would never violate his or anyone else’s personal thoughts, he also knows that even without his telepathic mutant abilities, Charles Xavier is still a gifted non-mutant empath and very attuned to people and subtly social cues.

Professor X gives Scott the moment he needs, and then continues, “I know you have feelings for the girl, but you cannot let your feelings for her endanger the team, her, or yourself.” Scott nods. “I know you know this, but I also know this is new territory for you. You can, and you should, feel for her. These are perfectly natural feelings. But if you don’t allow her to act and react, she won’t be able to develop the skills she needs in the field.”

“Professor, I’m sorry,” Scott hangs his head. “I should have known better. Were it Bobby or Hank or Warren I would not have stepped in like that. I would have let any one of them handle themself.”

“Scott, I didn’t ask you up here to scold you,” the Professor offers a genuine smile, “your protective instincts for her aren’t incorrect. However, as a leader, you have to allow her to train her abilities. Watch her like you would the rest of the team, allow her to train though, my boy.”

“Yes Professor,” Scott nods.

“Go on, train your team.” With that dismissal, Scott heads back into the Danger Room. The team are standing around in a circle. Their idle chatter dies immediately as the elevator door opens. Jean immediately stands straight, as do Warren and Hank. Bobby, unaware that Scott has returned, continues to make little snow men.

“Ice Man,” Cyclops says flatly. The little snow-Cyclops that Bobby had made melts quickly and Bobby quickly turns toward him. Seeing the others already standing at attention, Ice Man purses his lips and stands at attention as well.

“Marvel Girl,” Cyclops turns his attention to Jean, his tone slightly cold. Distant. “Stand ready.” Jean nods, though she finds herself unable to read him, and subsequently worried that he and the Professor’s talk didn’t go well. _What… did I do wrong?_ She agonizes for but a mere moment before she, and the other X-Men, are thrust into another battle scenario. A trap door that the professor controls from his room overhead opens, and another boulder rolls toward the teen girl. “Marvel Girl, now!” Cyclops shouts, startling the girl more than the boulder has. She stands frozen a moment as it rolls dangerously closer. Cyclops reaches for his visor again, ready to blast the boulder again, but before he does, Jean brings up her hands and a telekinetic force field envelopes the girl. The boulder crashes into seemingly air, but in reality it strikes Jean’s mental force. Keeping her arm up, and with apparent strain on her face, Marvel Girl turns to look at Cyclops. He nods and uses his concussive beam to destroy the boulder.

“Fascinating,” Hank says, landing beside the girl as her force field drops. She pants, almost collapsing, but Hank catches her. “You stopped a boulder with the force of your mind alone, yet I could not land beside you until now. Some form of invisible, telekinetic force field. Fascinating indeed,” he nods.

“Th-thank you,” Jean says, coming back to her own two feet. “I… I wasn’t expecting to do that. I… I don’t know what I expected to happen, honestly.” She glances at Scott and then lowers her head, shamefully adding, “I’m… I’m sorry I couldn’t take care of it on my own.” She cannot shake the feeling, after all, that she’s done something wrong. That the talk with the Professor went poorly and she is to blame.

“Marvel Girl,” Scott says sternly, “we are a team. We must learn to rely on each other as much as we must learn to rely on ourselves.” His words are reassuring enough to the girl, but his tone is still more formal. Distant. She nods, but her head still hangs a little low.

The remainder of the Danger Room class is less boulder excitement and more aerobics, running laps, jumping jacks, and other exercises that are befitting and even challenging in comparison to the programs of the President's Council on Physical Fitness. Although behind the curve, Jean keeps up better than she’d expected herself to. But all the same, comes in last in most of the exercises. And although the other boys reassure her that she is doing well, Cyclops continues to push the girl. Even asking her to finish her laps after the others have already cooled down.

“Slim,” Warren says, placing a hand on Scott’s shoulder while he watches Jean run the parameter of the Danger Room, “maybe you could cut her a little slack? We’ve all had much more practice and training.”

“I don’t want..,” Scott pauses, mulling over his response. “I don’t want her to fall behind. I want to make sure she is at her own peak, so she is ready if and when she is placed in the field.”

“You don’t want us to think you’re giving her special treatment because you like her,” Warren responds. Cyclops glares at him, but behind that ruby quartz visor, it seems more a glance.

“No. I just want to make sure she will be ready.”

“Alright, man. But don’t push her too hard. She’s a very soft girl,” Warren says before walking off to the showers along with Hank and Bobby.

Panting, Jean rests against the wall to catch her breath. She still has a lap and a half to go, but her sides are killing her and she’s covered a sheen from sweat. She stands up quickly, at attention, as Scott walks over to her. “S-sorry… I..,” she takes a few deep breaths, “I just… need to catch… my breath. Almost done.”

“It’s okay, Jean. Let’s call it,” he responds.

She peers up at him and, almost ready to cry, shakes her head. “No. I will finish. I… I don’t want to disappoint you… of get you in trouble again,” she says, starting to run again.

“Jean, wait!” Scott says, reaching to stay her. “You… you haven’t disappointed me.”

“Yes,” she lowers her head, “I have. I have to finish.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because,” she leans against the wall, finally catching her breath, “when you came back, and all day, you’ve… you’ve been barking orders at me. And… really pushing. I… I am sorry, I didn’t mean to,” she sniffles.

Breaking Danger Room protocol again, Scott grabs the sweaty girl and hugs her close. “I’m sorry. Jean, I didn’t get in trouble, I got a reminder. I am your leader, and I am responsible for making sure you’re ready for the field. But I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard. I just… I can’t go easy on you just because of how I feel. I have to make sure you are ready if we get into… but I shouldn’t have pushed so hard today. I’m the one who is sorry.”

Jean looks up at him, “I.., I thought I’d upset you. I thought you… you didn’t like..,” before she can finish, Scott leans down and kisses her.

“Please forgive me. This is new territory for me, and I am trying to balance being your leader with being your boy~” Before Scott can finish, klaxons ring and every member of the team gets a mental summons!

‘ _Come to me, my X-Men! There is an urgent matter to attend!’_ And with that summons, a strange image is projected into their minds. A strange image of a man in red…


End file.
